Taxpayer money to help Mayport going only to JaxPort

Neighbors wonder why no one talked to them about their lands

Money set aside in a bill passed by the Florida Senate for Mayport Naval Station "buffering," will all go to JaxPort. That news was a surprise and a disappointment to some private property owners who wonder why they didn't get offers.

The news came as a surprise to private property owners who wonder why they didn’t get offers. It also left some people scratching their heads as to why JaxPort’s property, which is separated from the naval station by Mayport Village, was so highly prized.

In Mayport, 11 separate parcels were identified and, although there is privately owned land between them, JaxPort owns each one.

“So far, the way we have approached easement issues is to get the development rights, it puts limits on the future use of the land so the owner can keep their property and use it as they always have,” said Harrison Conyers, the city of Jacksonville’s veterans and community outreach manager. “These would be properties that the Navy identified as potential threats to the base, but there are no specific negotiations going on at this time.”

Navy officials say they have been in talks with the city about the land for some time.

“We’ve been working with the city and the state and we’ve also talked to the Port Authority about it, so those are all the players involved,” said Chief William Townsend, a spokesman for Mayport Naval Station. “It’s been in the making for a little while.”

The Port Authority has lost millions of dollars on the riverfront property where it once hoped to put a cruise terminal. On one 1.5 acre parcel, JaxPort has lost more than $3.5 million in property values. JaxPort gave up the idea of a cruise terminal

Now, it appears the agency will recoup some of those losses, thanks to lawmakers. It’s not clear how much of the $7.5 million would go toward the JaxPort land.

Gov. Rick Scott would have to approve the bill, which he has already indicated he will, and JaxPort would have to agree.

JaxPort spokeswoman Nancy Rubin said the agency has no specific plans for the property right now.

However, some private property owners were dismayed this week they were never offered the same deal.

Dean Singleton, owner of Singleton’s Seafood Shack that borders the JaxPort property along the river, said he was never approached with an offer. If he had been, he would have been agreeable to it.

“Oh yeah, I would have definitely been interested,” he said.

The latest revelation was also news to City Council President Bill Gulliford.

“They haven’t made contact with me,” Gulliford said. “I’m sort of surprised that if we’re one of the bases that is being directly impacted, I’m sort of surprised that whomever introduced that in Tallahassee didn’t make contact with us out of courtesy and make us aware of the situation.”

The original version of the legislation filed in January didn’t contain the base buffering money. It was added in later as an amendment.

The decision on what particular land was to be sought came from the base commanders themselves, according to Enterprise Florida spokesman Sean Helton.

“The DEO sought out recommendations from the base commanders,” Helton said. “Then the list was given by DEO to the Florida Defense Support Task Force for their approval.”

In many instances, as is the case with Outlying Field Whitehouse, undeveloped land immediately adjacent to the base is bought to head off urban sprawl.

In the Mayport case, the land doesn’t border the naval station. Mayport Village separates the JaxPort riverfront property from the base.

“I’ll be quite anxious to learn more because I don’t think there’s any real encroachment. When I think of buffering, I think of land immediately adjacent to a base,” Gulliford said. “This land you’re suggesting is riverfront and I don’t see where it buffers anything.”

However, Townsend said the Navy sees the land as vital. “The Navy is continually looking at all vacant properties near and around installations for adequate land use, these properties in particular,” he said. “We have to be able to operate and do our mission and safety is our number one priority.

“We have helicopters flying around our airfield so we have height restrictions, population in proximity, we look at all these things when we make our decisions.”

In the end, exactly what development restrictions will be placed on the land by the deal remain unknown.

“The restrictions would be developed in partnership with the installation and specified in the closing documents, therefore we won’t know until then,” said Mara Burger of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

@c10w26a No one I spoke to was interested in selling their property, only development rights. That would simply mean that certain restrictions would be put on future development, such as no industrial facility or things over 35 feet tall, etc.

Singleton's would have been open for talks? Mayport Village was against a cruise terminal which would insure that the Mayport Ferry was self sustaining and would bring in tourist dollars to an under utilized area, now land owners are interested in selling out. It's sad how everyone was afraid of change and rather cling to a life that is no longer. It would be great if the area looked more like Fernandina.

With all the talks CC is having with JAXPORT personnel Im wondering why they didnt mention it?

After all JAXPORT is schmoozing CC looking for money to dredge the river to the tune of almost $400 million for tax payers to somehow subsidize.

one would think JAXPORT negotiations with the navy about city property, and it is city property, would have been rather germane in any conversation with CC, especially the president since he appears to be going out of his way to help them.

Rather incredible and unbelievable no one made out except JAXPORT

This is really a low blow by JAXPORT because the city should have had first option of acquiring that land and restore it back to the people and Mayport Village.